As I already wrote previously, the Northern Pike is a very good fish, but if usually most of the recipes prepare it as a second course/main course, I have to say that it’s possible to prepare some great pasta recipes too, as I’m going to show you now 🙂

And I have to say that in this case I used almost exclusively “leftovers” from the pike fillets 🙂 Indeed, the fisherman brought us a nice 3 Kg pike, and since this time it was bigger than usual I decided to make fillets from it (and I’ll prepare something very good later on 🙂 ).

But as usual when making fillets, there is always some meat remaining close to the central bone, on the line of “Y-bones” I removed, on the head, the cheeks, by the pectoral fins…often it’s considered waste, but with some patience I could remove enough to make a good pasta for 2 people 🙂 no, a VERY good pasta! 🙂 and no waste on the fish.

Of course, you can use the fillet too.

Let’s see how to make it 🙂

INGREDIENTS (2 people):

• 180/200 g of linguine (also spaghetti can be ok)
• 150/200 g of pike, boneless and skinless
• 2 anchovy fillets (possibly the ones kept in salt, otherwise also the ones in olive oil are good)
• 3-4 tea spoons of capers (the smaller the better)
• 1 clove of garlic
• chili
• half glass of dry white wine, even less, I would say 10 cl
• freshly chopped parsley
• extra virgin olive oil, 3-4 tablespoons about
• freshly grated lemon zest, not treated (optional)

1. First of all, once you have the pike flesh, remove carefully every possible bone, then cut the flesh into small dice. Chop also the anchovy fillets and the capers together.
2. Take a pan and heat the extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is hot enough smash the clove of garlic with the flat side of the knife and add it to the oil, with chili too.
3. Meanwhile put the pasta into a pot with salted boiling water.
4. Remove the garlic when it gets some color, and add the anchovy and capers to the oil, and the pike flesh too. Set the heat on medium and cook for 3/4 minutes.
5. When the pike looks externally cooked, add the white wine and set the heat higher, until the wine has reduced. Then set again the heat on low heat and keep cooking until the pasta is ready. No extra salt is needed, anchovy and capers are salty enough.
6. One minute before the pasta is ready (check the time on the package), drain it and add it to the pan with the sauce. Set the heat on medium and add also one or two ladles of the boiling water if needed, and mix the sauce well to the pasta, for 1-2 minutes.
7. Meanwhile chop the parsley and then add it to the pasta. The dish is already very good, but if you want to add a special touch then grate some lemon zest on it (just a little bit, it will add a nice fresh note to your dish).
8. Serve it, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and enjoy! Maybe with some dry white wine next to it 😉

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Products used:

Pasta: linguine from Pastificio Gentile

Pike: from Balaton lake